Carlos Ortiz's career has flourished in recent years, with the Mexican claiming his maiden LIV Golf title in 2024 among a series of impressive performances.
That continued into 2025, when he placed T2 at LIV Golf Adelaide before finishing fourth in its Miami tournament at Trump National Doral.
One frustration he faced was the struggle to qualify for Majors because of the circuit's ineligibility for world ranking points, but that all changed when he won the 2025 International Series Macau, which handed him a place at the 2025 Open, while he also reached the US Open via Final Qualifying.
With the opportunity to prove he is ready to compete in the biggest challenges of all, he didn't disappoint, finding himself firmly in contention for glory at the Oakmont Major as bigger names floundered.
Throughout his ascent, Ortiz has had caddie Mike Kerr alongside him. Previously, Ortiz had worked with Eduardo Castiello and Rueben Yorio, but he turned to Kerr in 2021 after he and Sergio Garcia parted ways.
Zimbabwean Kerr is no stranger to working with some of the world's best. As well as Garcia, he has caddied for Ernie Els, Lee Westwood, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Thorbjorn Olesen and Adam Scott.
In the case of the Australian, he began working with Kerr in 2015 after his split with Tiger Woods' former bagman, Steve Williams. Four years later, Kerr linked up with Garcia, before building his long-term partnership with Ortiz.
It's not just the LIV Golf Houston and International Series Macau events Kerr has helped Ortiz to win. He also assisted him during his victory in world ranking event the 2023 Copa Prissa on the Gira de Golf Profesional Mexicana, while he won another International Series event, in Oman, in February 2024.
Those were all notable moments in the partnership, but with Ortiz's performance at the 2025 US Open, it arguably reached new heights, suggesting there's plenty of room for it to run.
